To link to the entire object, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed the entire object, paste this HTML in websiteTo link to this page, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed this page, paste this HTML in website

16th Annual Ojibwe Art Expo-page 2
Museum rejects Cree Indian's claim
to sacred bundle- page 3
Student denounces proposed BSU
Indian center; Ojibwe News editor
says apology in order- page 4
Maple sugar harvest underway-
page 6
Fifty Cents
Founded in 1988
Volume 1 Issue 47
April 12,1989
' Copyright, the Ojibwe News, 1989
A Weeklv Publication
Bemidii. Minnesota 5660(1
Another half-million dollar
bingo winner in Minnesota
Prior Lake. Minn. (AP) A
Shakopee homemaker has hit the
$500,000 jackpot while playing
Megabingo at the Little 6 Bingo
Palace on the Sioux Indian
Reservation.
"I don't believe it yet," Daphne
Sager, 51, said Friday, the day
after her win. "I kept telling ray
husband I'd do it (win), but I
never really dreamt \ would. You
know how bingo players talk."
Sager will receive $25,000 a
year for 20 years. She said she
will use the money to help her
three sons, buy kitchen cupboards
and a water softener, and pay a
few bills.
Megabingo numbers are drawn
at the game's headquarters in
Tulsa, Okla., and broadcast live
each day to 13 Indian bingo halls
in eight states. The first player to
cover a card in 50 bingo calls or
less wins a $500,000 jackpot. If
>t isn't hit, a $10,000
prize is given to the first player to
cover a card in 51 or more calls.
Sager filled her card on the 48th
It was the second time in the
past 10 days that the prize was
given at the Prior Lake bingo
operation and only die third time
the $500,000 jackpot has been
The three Megabingo jackpots
have been won by Minnesotans.
Frank Dupree, 71, a retired
maintenance worker, won the
jackpot Feb. 22 at the Fortune Bay
Bingo Casino in Tower. Joan
Wade, a 51-year- old MTC bus
driver from Minneapolis, won
lAv.rcb 28.
"The odds against having all
three half-million dollar winners
win in Minnesota are enormous,"
said Bill Seaton. marketing
director for Gamma International
Ltd., creators of the game.
1*» « ««-AV,VVV
Bill to ban student spankings
advances to Senate floor
By Mary R Sandok
Associated Press Writer
SL Paul (AP) After narrowing
the definition of "corporal
punishment," the Senate Education
Committee on Wednesday approved
a bill that would prohibit spanking,
paddling and other types of
punishment in Minnesota public
schools.
An amendment added to the bill
attempts "to very narrowly define
corporal punishment as the worst
types of offenses," said Sen. Gary
Laidig, IR-Stiliwater, author of the
legislation.
In its current form, the bill would
"prohibit the outrageous sorts of
behavior, the paddling, the hitting,
the slapping," Laidig said after the
hearing.
Also, he said, it would prohibit
actions by teachers and other public
school employees that cause
emotional harm to students. Laidig
said such actions might include
throwing a book that just misses a
student's head or slamming a ruler
or board on a desk.
The amendment defines corporal
punishment as "hitting a person with
or without an object and cruel
discipline or unreasonable physical
force that causes bodily harm or/
substantia] emotional harm."
It prohibits public school
employees or agents from inflicting
corporal punishment on pupils to
"reform unacceptable conduct or as
a penalty for unacceptable conduct."
The amendment was drafted after
representatives of teacher, school
board and school principal
organizations testified against the
bill Monday. They argued that the
definition of corporal punishment in
Laidig's original bill was too broad.
Spokespersons for the state's
public schools also have testified
that corpora] punishment of students
in Minnesota is not a significant
problem.
Laidig said he too has pondered
whether his proposal represents
"hitting a fly with a sledgehammer."
However, he said, he concluded
his proposed prohibition "is a
natural, logical extension" of the
Minnesota tradition of protecting
children from abuse.
"It's not rampant," Laidig said,
referring to the problem of teachers
improperly disciplining students.
"It's not as frequent as in the
Southern states, but I think this is the
right direction for Minnesota to go
in."
Non-public schools would not be
covered by the prohibition in
Laidig's bill, which was sent to the
Senate floor on a voice vote.
Maple Sugaring
Don Foster, of Many Directions near Roy Lake on the White Earth reservation,
gears up for this spring's maple sugar harvest. See page 6 for story and more
photos. Photo by Mark Boswell
'Casino night" bill withdrawn in Senate
Johnson says senator is
holding up child initiative
St. Paid (AP) A key state senator
is delaying, action on part of Gov.
Rudy Perpich's initiative for
children. Lt. Gov. Marlene
Johnson says.
"He's holding op the show,"
Johnson said Monday, referring to
Sen. Randy Peterson,
DFL-Wyoming.
Peterson chairs a Senate panel
that oversees financial aids to
schools.
He has not scheduled hearings
on bills that would fund several
dropout-prevention programs as
well as provide grants to start
extended day care programs in
schools, screen preschoolers for
physical and mental problems and
provide classes that enable new
parents to learn about parenting.
Peterson has said he favors most
of the programs in principle, but
has not been convinced that they
are effective.
And, he said. "We don't have
enough funds for the basic K-12
(kindergarten through high
school) education. I think we have
to look very carefully at some of
these other programs, no matter
how worthy they seem, when we
don't have enough funds for basic
causation.-'
Johnson, who has made the
children's initiative her main
legislative project, said she hopes
to pry the bills out of Peterson's
committee, even if they don't
include the recommended funding
increases. The bills account for
more than one-fourth of the $66
million Perpich requested for
programs geared to meeting the
needs of children, especially
preschoolers.
SS. Paul (AP) The sponsor of a bill
allowing non-profit organizations
with clubrooms to hold "casino"
nights has withdrawn the proposal
after complaints by members of a
Senate committee that it would
.significantly expand legalized
gambling in Minnesota.
Sen. Marilyn Lantry, DFL-St.
Paul, made the decision Thursday.
She had sought a change in state law
to allow veterans, fraternal and other
non-profit organizations to hold two
casino nights a year to raise money
for building maintenance and repair.
Non-profit organizations have
deluged the Legislature with
complaints since a law was passed in
1988 forbidding them to use any
charitable gambling proceeds for
clubroom construction and
maintenance.
In many municipalities, especially
in rural areas, the clubrooms
function as community activity
centers. They are frequendy used by
other non-profit organizations free
i-jjf charge as meeting places.
Therefore, organizations with
clubrooms argue, they ought to be
able to spend some portion of
gambling proceeds on their own
physical plants.
Lantry told the Senate
Governmental Operations
Committee, which criticized her
proposal as a sort of Las Vegas
foot-in-the-door, she will pursue an
alternative suggested by committee
members. They proposed that
legislation be passed allowing
organizations to use proceeds from
two or more days of charitable
gambling, which is legal and
regulated by the state, to offset
maintenance and repair costs.
Lantry said she will propose an
amendment to a bill co-sponsored by
Sen. Joe Bertram, DFL-Paynesville,
and Rep. Anthony Kinkel, DFL-Park
Rapids. That legislation permits
organizations that allow their
clubrooms to be used extensively
free of charge by other non-profit
organizations to spend gambling
proceeds on maintenance, repair and
replacement of buildings destroyed
by fire or natural disasters.
Criticizing the casino proposal,
Sen. Michael Freeman,
DFL-Richfield, said, "It's the first
step in legalizing casino-night
gambling. That's a major policy
question."
Lantry's bill allows the playing of
blackjack, poker, keno and roulette
with phony script, not cash.
Participants would purchase the
script for an entry fee and then buy
prizes with the winnings at the end
of the casino night.
She said several local jurisdictions
have been allowing such events.
But the Minnesota attorney
general's office has issued a
memorandum saying such nights are
illegal because blackjack, poker,
keno and roulette are not authorized
under the state's charitable gaming
statutes.
Three Red Lake
women injured
in accident
Two Red Lake women were
hospitalized following a one-vehicle
rollover Saturday afternoon in
Nebish township.
The women, identified as Hilda
Cook, 31, and Sherry Garrigan, 28,
were travelling on County Road 15
when they apparendy hit a patch of
ice. The pick up rolled several times,
throwing Cdok from the pickup and
into a utility pole.
Officers responding to the
accident, which occured at about
4:20 p.m., reported that Garrigan
suffered a broken back.
The women were transported to St.
Lukes Hospital in Fargo where
hospital officials were asked by both
families not to disclose the condition
of Cook and Garrigan.
Another passanger, Laurie
Garrigan, 22, suffered a cut on the
head and was treated at Red Lake
Hospital.
Eight schools defy state board, say they'll keep Indian team names
St. Paul (AP) Eight Minnesota
high schools say they won't
comply with a request by the state
Board of Education to change their
American Indian-theme nicknames.
The board, in a Feb. 6 letter,
asked school districts to drop
Indian team names because they
are "offensive to persons of
American Indian culture and
perpetuate a negative racial
stereotype."
Will Antell, manager of the state
Equal Education Opportunities
department, said 20 of the 56
Minnesota schools with Indian
names responded to the board's
request that they change their
names or at least report their
progress by April 1.
Twelve said they would make
changes and eight said they would
not, he said Monday.
Mahnomen, Warroad, Red Lake,
Centennial, Grand Rapids,
Pipestone, Sauk Rapids and
Winona have decided to continue
using Indian nicknames, though
Centennial, Grand Rapids and Sauk
Rapids agreed to stop using Indian
headdresses on their mascots,
Antell said.
Warroad said its Warrior team
name had the support of the Indian
community.
"Our local Indian community
wanted us to keep the 'Warrior'
name and we agree with their
wishes," said Warroad schools
superintendent John Reishus.
Similarly, Mahnomen superintendent Ralph Christofferson
wrote in his letter to the board that
the 'Indian' nickname "serves to
preserve a proud and noble history
here in Mahnomen."
Several schools indicated that
they will change some aspect of
their teams' names or uniforms to
avoid any connection with
American Indians. For example, the
Pipestone Arrowmen now will be
related to Robin Hood and the
Warriors of Balaton, Bird Island
and Kenyon will wear emblems
and uniforms to show they are
Trojan or Roman Warriors, not
Indian Warriors.
Other schools have agreed to
come up with completely new"
names.
Antell said more schools are
expected to respond to the board
next month. He said many schools
are waiting for actions from the
Minnesota Civil Liberties Union,
which in January threatened to file
suit against schools that wold not
change their Indian nicknames.
The MCLU claimed use of such
names and mascots violated state
law and the U.S. Constitution.
While some Indian groups
support the ban, others have said
they resent the MCLU's
presumption in speaking for them.
They said Indian team names can
be a sign of pride if they are used
tastefully.
^SSSH? who batter chjldren '" Minnesota are rarely arrested, says report
£?52P*SAV Compared with of substantiated cases of child abuse prosecutors. The™', ,™„ ,„ k. ^; . *:_. * * ■ W^TVTI i.
Minneapolis (AP) Compared with
the number of substantiated cases of
child battering in Minnesota, few
abusers are ever prosecuted, a
published report says.
According to the Minnesota
Department of Human Services,
more than 3,000 cases of child
physical abuse were substantiated in
1986, the most recent year from
which data is available. Only 38
adult abusers were prosecuted,
resulting in 30 convictions, the Star
Tribune reported Sunday.
More than 400 of the 1986 cases
involved life-threatening injuries,
which can result in charges of
first-degree assault, a felony,
according to the statistics.
In 1987, preliminary figures show
about the same number of
prosecutions, although the number
of substantiated cases of child abuse
is still unknown, the newspaper said.
According to a recent report from
the state Planning Agency, litde is
done about the physical abuse of
children while child sexual abuse is
aggressively prosecuted.
"It is not a question of difficulties
in prosecution, however substantial
those may be, because physical
abuse cases are not even coming to
the attention of county attorneys,"
the agency's Stephen Coleman
wrote in the report. "The conclusion
one is left with is that there is an
unwritten policy in effect not to
arrest offenders in cases of child
physical abuse."
Said Judge Lynn Olson of the
Anoka County District Court:
"There's a breakdown between child
protection, the police and the
prosecutors. There's reason to be
appalled by these findings, but you
shouldn't be surprised."
Olson is considered an expert in
child abuse issues dating from her
involvement in untangling problems
involved with the 1984 Scott County
child abuse investigations.
"It's assault. But nobody ever
looks at it that way," Olson said.
"The punishment for the assault of
children—jail, fine or prison—it just
isn't happening enough."
Three years ago, the state attorney
general's task force report on Child
Abuse Within the Family noted that
physical abuse cases rarely were
prosecuted. There were no specific
recommendations on how to address
the issue. Three years later litde has
changed, according to the
newspaper.
Ik
Minnesota Attorney General
Hubert Humphrey in said Friday he
is disturbed by the low rate of
prosecution. He said he is going to
explore whether there should be
mandatory reporting of all physical
child abuse to county and city
attorneys. The law only requires
reporting between child protection
agencies and police.
"We've got to get going and ask
what the prosecuting system—
county by county—is doing with
these cases," Humphrey said.
Fern Sepler, director of the state
Crime Victim and Witness Advisory
Board, said: "What is going to
change all this? Nothing is really
going to happen to stop this
trajectory of more abuse unless
there's a swell of public opinion for
arrests and prosecution."
In cases of child homicide, unless
someone confesses or there is a
witness, there is little chance the
perpetrator will be charged with
murder, the Star Tribune said.
County attorneys are reluctant to
take the cases of murdered children
before grand juries when evidence is
largely circumstantial and based on
medical evidence.
Among the unsolved cases is one
involving 8-month-old Mashayla of
Minneapolis, Who died of severe
head injuries in June 1986. Besides
skull fractures, she suffered chronic
sexual abuse, according to a
pathologist's report. The cause of
death was ruled homicide.
The child's mother and uncle said
she was dropped onto a hardwood
floor by her 2-year-old sister. But a
pathologist's report said such severe
head injuries couldn't have been
caused by the fall. The family
offered no explanation of how the
child suffered sexual abuse.
The case remains open. Sgt. Jon
Hinchliff can't understand why it
hasn't been taken before a grand
jury. "It's one of those cases you
don't file away," he said. "I have it
right next to me on the desk. I think
about it a lot.
"It's a innocent litde human being
who has no voice in the system. No
system is there to speak up for her,"
he said. "Why not go for abuse?"
Assistant County Attorney Fred
Karasov concedes that someone is
possibly getting away with murder
in the case.
"The long and the short of it is
there are tragic unsolved cases," he
said.

16th Annual Ojibwe Art Expo-page 2
Museum rejects Cree Indian's claim
to sacred bundle- page 3
Student denounces proposed BSU
Indian center; Ojibwe News editor
says apology in order- page 4
Maple sugar harvest underway-
page 6
Fifty Cents
Founded in 1988
Volume 1 Issue 47
April 12,1989
' Copyright, the Ojibwe News, 1989
A Weeklv Publication
Bemidii. Minnesota 5660(1
Another half-million dollar
bingo winner in Minnesota
Prior Lake. Minn. (AP) A
Shakopee homemaker has hit the
$500,000 jackpot while playing
Megabingo at the Little 6 Bingo
Palace on the Sioux Indian
Reservation.
"I don't believe it yet," Daphne
Sager, 51, said Friday, the day
after her win. "I kept telling ray
husband I'd do it (win), but I
never really dreamt \ would. You
know how bingo players talk."
Sager will receive $25,000 a
year for 20 years. She said she
will use the money to help her
three sons, buy kitchen cupboards
and a water softener, and pay a
few bills.
Megabingo numbers are drawn
at the game's headquarters in
Tulsa, Okla., and broadcast live
each day to 13 Indian bingo halls
in eight states. The first player to
cover a card in 50 bingo calls or
less wins a $500,000 jackpot. If
>t isn't hit, a $10,000
prize is given to the first player to
cover a card in 51 or more calls.
Sager filled her card on the 48th
It was the second time in the
past 10 days that the prize was
given at the Prior Lake bingo
operation and only die third time
the $500,000 jackpot has been
The three Megabingo jackpots
have been won by Minnesotans.
Frank Dupree, 71, a retired
maintenance worker, won the
jackpot Feb. 22 at the Fortune Bay
Bingo Casino in Tower. Joan
Wade, a 51-year- old MTC bus
driver from Minneapolis, won
lAv.rcb 28.
"The odds against having all
three half-million dollar winners
win in Minnesota are enormous,"
said Bill Seaton. marketing
director for Gamma International
Ltd., creators of the game.
1*» « ««-AV,VVV
Bill to ban student spankings
advances to Senate floor
By Mary R Sandok
Associated Press Writer
SL Paul (AP) After narrowing
the definition of "corporal
punishment," the Senate Education
Committee on Wednesday approved
a bill that would prohibit spanking,
paddling and other types of
punishment in Minnesota public
schools.
An amendment added to the bill
attempts "to very narrowly define
corporal punishment as the worst
types of offenses," said Sen. Gary
Laidig, IR-Stiliwater, author of the
legislation.
In its current form, the bill would
"prohibit the outrageous sorts of
behavior, the paddling, the hitting,
the slapping," Laidig said after the
hearing.
Also, he said, it would prohibit
actions by teachers and other public
school employees that cause
emotional harm to students. Laidig
said such actions might include
throwing a book that just misses a
student's head or slamming a ruler
or board on a desk.
The amendment defines corporal
punishment as "hitting a person with
or without an object and cruel
discipline or unreasonable physical
force that causes bodily harm or/
substantia] emotional harm."
It prohibits public school
employees or agents from inflicting
corporal punishment on pupils to
"reform unacceptable conduct or as
a penalty for unacceptable conduct."
The amendment was drafted after
representatives of teacher, school
board and school principal
organizations testified against the
bill Monday. They argued that the
definition of corporal punishment in
Laidig's original bill was too broad.
Spokespersons for the state's
public schools also have testified
that corpora] punishment of students
in Minnesota is not a significant
problem.
Laidig said he too has pondered
whether his proposal represents
"hitting a fly with a sledgehammer."
However, he said, he concluded
his proposed prohibition "is a
natural, logical extension" of the
Minnesota tradition of protecting
children from abuse.
"It's not rampant," Laidig said,
referring to the problem of teachers
improperly disciplining students.
"It's not as frequent as in the
Southern states, but I think this is the
right direction for Minnesota to go
in."
Non-public schools would not be
covered by the prohibition in
Laidig's bill, which was sent to the
Senate floor on a voice vote.
Maple Sugaring
Don Foster, of Many Directions near Roy Lake on the White Earth reservation,
gears up for this spring's maple sugar harvest. See page 6 for story and more
photos. Photo by Mark Boswell
'Casino night" bill withdrawn in Senate
Johnson says senator is
holding up child initiative
St. Paid (AP) A key state senator
is delaying, action on part of Gov.
Rudy Perpich's initiative for
children. Lt. Gov. Marlene
Johnson says.
"He's holding op the show,"
Johnson said Monday, referring to
Sen. Randy Peterson,
DFL-Wyoming.
Peterson chairs a Senate panel
that oversees financial aids to
schools.
He has not scheduled hearings
on bills that would fund several
dropout-prevention programs as
well as provide grants to start
extended day care programs in
schools, screen preschoolers for
physical and mental problems and
provide classes that enable new
parents to learn about parenting.
Peterson has said he favors most
of the programs in principle, but
has not been convinced that they
are effective.
And, he said. "We don't have
enough funds for the basic K-12
(kindergarten through high
school) education. I think we have
to look very carefully at some of
these other programs, no matter
how worthy they seem, when we
don't have enough funds for basic
causation.-'
Johnson, who has made the
children's initiative her main
legislative project, said she hopes
to pry the bills out of Peterson's
committee, even if they don't
include the recommended funding
increases. The bills account for
more than one-fourth of the $66
million Perpich requested for
programs geared to meeting the
needs of children, especially
preschoolers.
SS. Paul (AP) The sponsor of a bill
allowing non-profit organizations
with clubrooms to hold "casino"
nights has withdrawn the proposal
after complaints by members of a
Senate committee that it would
.significantly expand legalized
gambling in Minnesota.
Sen. Marilyn Lantry, DFL-St.
Paul, made the decision Thursday.
She had sought a change in state law
to allow veterans, fraternal and other
non-profit organizations to hold two
casino nights a year to raise money
for building maintenance and repair.
Non-profit organizations have
deluged the Legislature with
complaints since a law was passed in
1988 forbidding them to use any
charitable gambling proceeds for
clubroom construction and
maintenance.
In many municipalities, especially
in rural areas, the clubrooms
function as community activity
centers. They are frequendy used by
other non-profit organizations free
i-jjf charge as meeting places.
Therefore, organizations with
clubrooms argue, they ought to be
able to spend some portion of
gambling proceeds on their own
physical plants.
Lantry told the Senate
Governmental Operations
Committee, which criticized her
proposal as a sort of Las Vegas
foot-in-the-door, she will pursue an
alternative suggested by committee
members. They proposed that
legislation be passed allowing
organizations to use proceeds from
two or more days of charitable
gambling, which is legal and
regulated by the state, to offset
maintenance and repair costs.
Lantry said she will propose an
amendment to a bill co-sponsored by
Sen. Joe Bertram, DFL-Paynesville,
and Rep. Anthony Kinkel, DFL-Park
Rapids. That legislation permits
organizations that allow their
clubrooms to be used extensively
free of charge by other non-profit
organizations to spend gambling
proceeds on maintenance, repair and
replacement of buildings destroyed
by fire or natural disasters.
Criticizing the casino proposal,
Sen. Michael Freeman,
DFL-Richfield, said, "It's the first
step in legalizing casino-night
gambling. That's a major policy
question."
Lantry's bill allows the playing of
blackjack, poker, keno and roulette
with phony script, not cash.
Participants would purchase the
script for an entry fee and then buy
prizes with the winnings at the end
of the casino night.
She said several local jurisdictions
have been allowing such events.
But the Minnesota attorney
general's office has issued a
memorandum saying such nights are
illegal because blackjack, poker,
keno and roulette are not authorized
under the state's charitable gaming
statutes.
Three Red Lake
women injured
in accident
Two Red Lake women were
hospitalized following a one-vehicle
rollover Saturday afternoon in
Nebish township.
The women, identified as Hilda
Cook, 31, and Sherry Garrigan, 28,
were travelling on County Road 15
when they apparendy hit a patch of
ice. The pick up rolled several times,
throwing Cdok from the pickup and
into a utility pole.
Officers responding to the
accident, which occured at about
4:20 p.m., reported that Garrigan
suffered a broken back.
The women were transported to St.
Lukes Hospital in Fargo where
hospital officials were asked by both
families not to disclose the condition
of Cook and Garrigan.
Another passanger, Laurie
Garrigan, 22, suffered a cut on the
head and was treated at Red Lake
Hospital.
Eight schools defy state board, say they'll keep Indian team names
St. Paul (AP) Eight Minnesota
high schools say they won't
comply with a request by the state
Board of Education to change their
American Indian-theme nicknames.
The board, in a Feb. 6 letter,
asked school districts to drop
Indian team names because they
are "offensive to persons of
American Indian culture and
perpetuate a negative racial
stereotype."
Will Antell, manager of the state
Equal Education Opportunities
department, said 20 of the 56
Minnesota schools with Indian
names responded to the board's
request that they change their
names or at least report their
progress by April 1.
Twelve said they would make
changes and eight said they would
not, he said Monday.
Mahnomen, Warroad, Red Lake,
Centennial, Grand Rapids,
Pipestone, Sauk Rapids and
Winona have decided to continue
using Indian nicknames, though
Centennial, Grand Rapids and Sauk
Rapids agreed to stop using Indian
headdresses on their mascots,
Antell said.
Warroad said its Warrior team
name had the support of the Indian
community.
"Our local Indian community
wanted us to keep the 'Warrior'
name and we agree with their
wishes," said Warroad schools
superintendent John Reishus.
Similarly, Mahnomen superintendent Ralph Christofferson
wrote in his letter to the board that
the 'Indian' nickname "serves to
preserve a proud and noble history
here in Mahnomen."
Several schools indicated that
they will change some aspect of
their teams' names or uniforms to
avoid any connection with
American Indians. For example, the
Pipestone Arrowmen now will be
related to Robin Hood and the
Warriors of Balaton, Bird Island
and Kenyon will wear emblems
and uniforms to show they are
Trojan or Roman Warriors, not
Indian Warriors.
Other schools have agreed to
come up with completely new"
names.
Antell said more schools are
expected to respond to the board
next month. He said many schools
are waiting for actions from the
Minnesota Civil Liberties Union,
which in January threatened to file
suit against schools that wold not
change their Indian nicknames.
The MCLU claimed use of such
names and mascots violated state
law and the U.S. Constitution.
While some Indian groups
support the ban, others have said
they resent the MCLU's
presumption in speaking for them.
They said Indian team names can
be a sign of pride if they are used
tastefully.
^SSSH? who batter chjldren '" Minnesota are rarely arrested, says report
£?52P*SAV Compared with of substantiated cases of child abuse prosecutors. The™', ,™„ ,„ k. ^; . *:_. * * ■ W^TVTI i.
Minneapolis (AP) Compared with
the number of substantiated cases of
child battering in Minnesota, few
abusers are ever prosecuted, a
published report says.
According to the Minnesota
Department of Human Services,
more than 3,000 cases of child
physical abuse were substantiated in
1986, the most recent year from
which data is available. Only 38
adult abusers were prosecuted,
resulting in 30 convictions, the Star
Tribune reported Sunday.
More than 400 of the 1986 cases
involved life-threatening injuries,
which can result in charges of
first-degree assault, a felony,
according to the statistics.
In 1987, preliminary figures show
about the same number of
prosecutions, although the number
of substantiated cases of child abuse
is still unknown, the newspaper said.
According to a recent report from
the state Planning Agency, litde is
done about the physical abuse of
children while child sexual abuse is
aggressively prosecuted.
"It is not a question of difficulties
in prosecution, however substantial
those may be, because physical
abuse cases are not even coming to
the attention of county attorneys,"
the agency's Stephen Coleman
wrote in the report. "The conclusion
one is left with is that there is an
unwritten policy in effect not to
arrest offenders in cases of child
physical abuse."
Said Judge Lynn Olson of the
Anoka County District Court:
"There's a breakdown between child
protection, the police and the
prosecutors. There's reason to be
appalled by these findings, but you
shouldn't be surprised."
Olson is considered an expert in
child abuse issues dating from her
involvement in untangling problems
involved with the 1984 Scott County
child abuse investigations.
"It's assault. But nobody ever
looks at it that way," Olson said.
"The punishment for the assault of
children—jail, fine or prison—it just
isn't happening enough."
Three years ago, the state attorney
general's task force report on Child
Abuse Within the Family noted that
physical abuse cases rarely were
prosecuted. There were no specific
recommendations on how to address
the issue. Three years later litde has
changed, according to the
newspaper.
Ik
Minnesota Attorney General
Hubert Humphrey in said Friday he
is disturbed by the low rate of
prosecution. He said he is going to
explore whether there should be
mandatory reporting of all physical
child abuse to county and city
attorneys. The law only requires
reporting between child protection
agencies and police.
"We've got to get going and ask
what the prosecuting system—
county by county—is doing with
these cases," Humphrey said.
Fern Sepler, director of the state
Crime Victim and Witness Advisory
Board, said: "What is going to
change all this? Nothing is really
going to happen to stop this
trajectory of more abuse unless
there's a swell of public opinion for
arrests and prosecution."
In cases of child homicide, unless
someone confesses or there is a
witness, there is little chance the
perpetrator will be charged with
murder, the Star Tribune said.
County attorneys are reluctant to
take the cases of murdered children
before grand juries when evidence is
largely circumstantial and based on
medical evidence.
Among the unsolved cases is one
involving 8-month-old Mashayla of
Minneapolis, Who died of severe
head injuries in June 1986. Besides
skull fractures, she suffered chronic
sexual abuse, according to a
pathologist's report. The cause of
death was ruled homicide.
The child's mother and uncle said
she was dropped onto a hardwood
floor by her 2-year-old sister. But a
pathologist's report said such severe
head injuries couldn't have been
caused by the fall. The family
offered no explanation of how the
child suffered sexual abuse.
The case remains open. Sgt. Jon
Hinchliff can't understand why it
hasn't been taken before a grand
jury. "It's one of those cases you
don't file away," he said. "I have it
right next to me on the desk. I think
about it a lot.
"It's a innocent litde human being
who has no voice in the system. No
system is there to speak up for her,"
he said. "Why not go for abuse?"
Assistant County Attorney Fred
Karasov concedes that someone is
possibly getting away with murder
in the case.
"The long and the short of it is
there are tragic unsolved cases," he
said.